The Way We Are
by Ahleea
Summary: Bella heads off to college in New York, with best friend Alice Brandon, in hopes of becoming an editor. But when she meets someone who she can't get out of her head, she finds herself in a situation she's never been in before; falling in love. ExB AU/AH
1. Rude Awakenings

**Rude Awakenings**

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I woke up to my alarm beeping loudly, wishing I could have another hour to sleep. Just as I reached over to hit the snooze button my phone started to ring, and I didn't even have to look at the screen to know who it was.

"Hello Alice."

"Bella, don't even think about hitting that snooze button! We have way too many things to today, and sleeping the day away will only waste time. Now get up and take a shower, I'll be over in 30 minutes." And with that she hung up.

_Ugh, today is going to be a long a day,_ was all I could think. Today was my last day in Forks, Washington, and Alice Brandon, my best friend, and I were getting ready to head off to Fordham University in New York, It had always been our dream to go to college together in New York, and tonight we would finally be there.

The last couple of weeks had been hectic, to say the least. Alice had gone crazy trying to get everything we would need for our dorm room, and even decided that we both needed a complete wardrobe upgrade. "Bella, before your clothes said, 'I'm cute, simple Bella from boring Forks' but now they say, 'I'm gorgeous, exciting Bella who loves to live it up in NYC!'" Alice had said trying to justify the three day shopping spree. She ended up buying so much stuff I wasn't sure it would even fit in our room once we got there.

Today we were packing the last of our things and checking to be sure we hadn't forgotten anything important. Most of our things had already been shipped to New York, because there was no way we were could bring it on the plane with us.

I glanced over at my alarm clock and realized I had just wasted ten minutes lying there, and only had twenty left to get ready before Alice got here. I quickly rolled out my bed and sprinted to the bathroom. Okay, well I sprinted to the door where I stubbed my big toe, and then hopped around in pain, silently cursing the door, until I was able to hobble the rest of the way to the bathroom. After taking the shortest shower of my life and brushing my teeth, I returned to my room and stood in front of my closet trying to decide what to wear. I usually didn't spend much time doing this, but since Alice had sent most of my clothes to New York and donated the "unwearable" ones my choices were few. I finally chose a basic green v-neck top with some dark wash skinny jeans and a pair of flats. I wasn't really too concerned when it came to my outfits, but I knew that Alice would drag me back up stairs to change if what I was wearing wasn't up to her standards.

As I put my, now dry, hair into a high ponytail and secured my side bangs with a thin green head band Alice came skipping through my door.

"Good morning Bella! Are you ready to start our new fabulous life in the Big Apple?!"

I looked over at her and she had the biggest smile on her face; there was no doubt that she was extremely excited to be getting out of Forks. Alice had always been a city girl stuck in a small town world and, for her, going to New York brought her a step closer to her dream of becoming a fashion designer.

I laughed at her enthusiasm, "Yeah Alice, I'm actually really excited to start college. So are you all packed up to go?"

"Yeah, all my stuff is in my parents' car, they're downstairs talking to Charlie right now. Where are all your bags?"

"Downstairs in the living room, Charlie helped me move 'em there last night. Let's go down, I don't think I need anything else up here."

I grabbed my purse and walked out behind Alice, but turned to look at my room one more time before shutting the door. This had been the only room I've ever had and I was sad to be leaving it behind because it had a comfort of familiarity that my dorm wouldn't. There were still some pictures of me and my parents, from when they were still together, during past Christmases, and some of me and Alice during our childhood when we had played dress up. Even the rocking chair used for my nursery still sat in the corner.

"Bella?" Alice's voice snapped me out of my daydream, "you comin' or what?"

"Huh? Oh yeah, sorry. I'm right behind ya." I said as I finally closed my bedroom door.

We headed downstairs to where my dad and Mr. Brandon were loading my bags in to the sleek, black SUV.

"Well this is the last of 'em. Alice why don't we wait in the car for Bella." suggested Mr. Brandon.

The two of them walked out of the house, leaving just Charlie and me. This was the part that I was dreading the most; saying goodbye. Charlie had been here with me since day one, even after Renee had left us both. He was the only family I truly had left, and it hurt to have to leave him behind too. Charlie had never been one to show his emotion, but right now he wasn't doing a great job hiding them

"Now Bella, I packed you an extra can of pepper spray and I want you to carry one with you in your purse.'

"Dad, don't be ridiculous, I'm not gonna need pepper spray, I have Alice." I said with a smile.

Charlie laughed at the joke but became serious seconds after, "Bella, you're my only little girl, I need you to be safe out there in the big city. And always remember that I love you no matter what."

"Ah Dad, I love you too. Don't worry; Christmas will be here before you know it." I said with a sad smile, "Oh and before I forget, I left you dinner in the fridge and there are frozen meals in the –"

"Bella, I'm a grown man and very capable of taking care of myself so stop fussin' and give me hug before you leave."

I stepped forward to give my dad a long hug "I'm gonna miss you Dad."

"Me too kiddo, me too"

With that I walked out of my little house and got into the Brandon's SUV. I took one last look at my house and Charlie waving on the front porch and couldn't help but tear up. I was leaving behind everything I knew for a new, and kind of scary, adventure and I wasn't a hundred percent sure that I was ready for it. By now there were tears rolling down my cheeks and before I could wipe them away Alice had noticed.

"Hey Bella, it's gonna be okay. I know it's hard for you to leave all of this behind but we're gonna make new friends and new memories. You're not alone; we'll always have each other." She leaned over and gave me a reassuring hug.

That was the thing with Alice; she always seemed to know how I was feeling and just what to say to make me feel better.

"Thanks Ali, I really am excited about this…I guess I'm also just as nervous about leaving everyone behind. You know I don't have many close friends besides you and Jake and I'm not sure if I'll be able to make any more."

"Bella, don't be ridiculous! You are the sweetest person I know, and no one is going to be able to not like you. Just be yourself and don't worry." She gave me a bright smile and then turned to face forwards.

Sometimes I wondered how she could be so confident and self-assured in situations like this, but then again she was Alice; how could she not be?

We arrived at the airport and hour later. Alice and I checked in our bags and walked with her parents to security. I turned and thanked Mr. and Mrs. Brandon for everything and said my goodbyes before walking ahead so to give Alice and her parents some privacy. When Alice had finished saying goodbye with her parents she quickly made it through security and we both headed to our gate. Once we were aboard the plane and settled in our seats, I looked out my window and said my final goodbye to the state of Washington.

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**AN: K so there's the first chapter! Tell me what you think or if you have any comments about the story, I'm all ears, so hit me up. :D**


	2. Oh My God

**Oh My God**

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"Oh My God! I can't believe we're finally here!" Alice said for the hundredth time since we landed in New York a few minutes ago. "Hey Bella, could you grab my suitcases when they come around on the conveyor belt? I really need to use the restroom."

"Alice, you should've used the bathroom on the plane." I told her.

"Eww! That was so not an option and you know it."

I laughed at her response, "Well then maybe you shouldn't have had twenty cans of soda."

"But they were free! And the stewardess kept walking by when I finished a can and asked if I wanted another, and I couldn't say no." She stopped walking and turned to give me her patented puppy dog face, "Oh please, please, please Bella? I promise to never drink more than five drinks on a plane again."

"Ughh, fine Alice! I'll pick up your suitcases for you, just don't take too long."

"Yes! Thank you Bella! I'll be back in a second, promise." She turned towards the restroom and took off faster that I thought humanly possible.

'_Man, I guess she really did need to use the bathroom'_, I thought as I walked to baggage claim. I reached the crowd of people waiting for their bags and waited until our bags came around. I saw Alice's hot pink suitcase start to make it way around the belt and moved to take it off. I gripped the handle and tugged on it hard until I landed on my ass.

"Dammit, stupid Alice and her over packed luggage." I grumbled to myself.

Someone chuckled above me and put their hand out, "I couldn't help but notice that you were having some trouble, would you like some help?" he asked as I reached for my purse.

I froze when I heard his voice. It was so smooth but deep at the same time, it made me want to melt into a puddle. When I finally looked up my jaw dropped and I stopped breathing. The man standing above me was by far the most breath taking person I had ever seen. His had pale white skin, kind of like alabaster that contrasted his bronze colored hair. His hair was styled in an organized chaos that just begged to be touched. But thing that made blush insanely were his eyes. They were this starting green that looked like emeralds, and when I looked at them I forgot my own name.

I sat there openly starting at this man until he reminded me that I was still on the floor. "Miss, are you alright?"

My face turned a darker red when I realized that I never actually answered his question. "Uh, yeah. I'm fine, thank you." I squeaked out. _'Oh, this could not be any more embarrassing.' _

I looked back down at his hand and placed mine in his so that he could help me up. The second our hands touched I felt this shock run up my arm and through my body. I gasped and looked up to his eyes and he was staring intensely into mine. I blushed even more, if that was possible, but couldn't look away. I was completely entranced by this man.

We stayed like this for sometime before he cleared his throat and asked, "So would you like me to help you get your bags?"

"Y-yeah um, that would be great."

He gave me a crooked smile that made my heart beat faster and asked, "Are the pink ones yours?"

"Uhm no. Oh wait no, I mean yes. The pink ones are mine."

He chuckled and said "Okay, here's one now." He grabbed the handle and effortlessly placed it on the ground next to me, and turned to grab the other one as it came around.

"These are it. Thank you so much." I said, finally able to put together a real sentence.

"It was my pleasure." He said with that damned crooked smile and walked away.

I stared after him until he was too far to see and said, "Bye."

"Who are you saying bye to Bella?" Alice asked as she came up beside me.

I squealed in surprise and placed my hands over my heart. "God Alice! Don't sneak up on me like that."

She laughed, "Okay sorry. Thanks for getting my bags for me." The mention of her bags made me blush. "Bella, why are you blushing? What happened?"

I thought about telling her but then quickly changed my mind. Knowing Alice she would make me retell the whole embarrassing encounter and that wasn't something I wanted to do.

"Nothing happened Alice. I need to grab my bags because I was too busy getting yours. What do you have in there anyways, bricks?"

"No silly, one has shoes and the other has some clothes, nothing majorly heavy. Maybe you should workout more Bella." snickered Alice.

"Whatever, let's get my stuff and go. I hate airports." I grumbled. On the bright side I was able to distract her from asking anymore questions about my blushing.

We made our way out of the airport with our luggage in tow. Now all we needed was a taxi.

"This shouldn't be too hard. People hail taxis all the time in movies." stated Alice as she frantically waved her hand at taxis zooming by.

After the fifth one passed us, I suggested that we just walk to Fordham. "Bella, are you crazy! We can't walk all the way to Fordham. Who would carry my bags?"

And before I could answer her, Alice was stepping off the sidewalk into the middle of traffic. "Alice! What are you doing?!"

She looked over at me, "Getting us a taxi." and gave me a look that said, "DUH!" She stopped in front of a speeding taxi with her hand out telling it to stop.

The driver honked his horn, parked the car and began screaming profanities at Alice. "See? It worked, now get your things and get in the cab." I just stood there staring at her in complete shock. "Bella! Close your mouth and get moving!"

'_Alice will be Alice'_, was all I could think as I got into the cab. She gave the driver the address of our building before pulling out her cell phone to make a call.

"Who are you calling?"

"My cousin Emmett. I promised him that I would call once we got to New York."

"Oh. You didn't tell me you had a cousin who lived here."

"Yes I did Bella," Alice exasperated, "You just never pay attention to what I'm saying."

Now that I thought about it I did remember her saying something about a cousin on the plane, but blocked her out when she changed the subject to shopping.

"Hey Emmett! Yeah the plane ride was fine… We're in a taxi headed to our building…mhmm…Oh that sounds like fun!...Okay we'll see you at seven. Bye!"

I turned to Alice, "Where will we be at seven?"

"Well Emmitt graciously invited us to his apartment tonight to meet some of his friends and have dinner. And I figured since we didn't have any actual plans it would be a great idea to go."

Even though I didn't really feel like going there was no point in fighting the inevitable. "So how old is Emmett?"

"He's twenty years old and is a junior at Fordham. He lives with his girlfriend, Rosalie, in an apartment near our building so we won't need a taxi to get there."

We stepped out of the taxi and walked into the building. I looked around until I found the information desk. "Alice, you stay here and I'll get our keys." I returned a few minutes later to find a guy standing next to Alice carrying her suitcases.

"Okay Bella, which floor?"

"Who is this?" I asked, completely ignoring her question.

"This is Mike and he is helping me carry my bags to the room, so let's go." She grabbed the keys out of my hands and headed to the elevators.

I turned to Mike, "I'm really sorry about her. Alice tends to be…"

"Don't worry about it, it's cool… So Bella do you have plans tonight?"

I automatically thought of the man who helped me at the airport and wondered what he would be doing tonight. "Uhh, yeah I do actually. I'm going to be hanging out with some people, sorry."

"No problem. Maybe another night." He winked at me and we both got into the elevator with Alice.

The silence between the three of us was extremely awkward, not the Alice seemed to notice. I thanked God when we finally reached our dorm and said goodbye to Mike after declining his offer to help us get settled.

"He was cute, and I think he liked you…"

"Alice, don't even think about trying to set something up, I am not interested in him."

"Fine be that way." Alice grumbled.

Even though there where loads of boxes to unpack and clothes to put away I decided to only make my bed. "Alice I'm taking a nap."

"But Bella, we have to get ready for tonight!"

"Alice its only four o'clock, just wake me up when it's time to get ready, okay?" She may've said something in return, bit as soon as my head hit the pillow I was out like a light.

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AN: So this chapter took a little bit longer to write that I'd hoped for, but I hope you enjoyed it. Review what you think! :)


	3. Meet and Greet

**Chapter 3 - Meet and Greet**

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"Bella wake up! It's time to get ready."

"Mmm, five more minutes…"

Alice ripped the sheets off my body, "BELLA!"

"Alright, alright I'm up." I looked around the room and wondered if it was the same one that I had fallen asleep in. "Alice, what happened to this place?"

"Well, while some of us were sleeping, I took it upon myself to organize and decorate the room. Soo…Do you like it?!"

The once bland room was now splashed with vibrant blues, greens, pinks, and purples. The large window on the south wall was covered with a colorfully striped curtain that touched the floor. The wooden floor now had a medium sized rug adorned with cute multicolored flowers and the walls were littered with several eye catching posters and retro artwork. Alice had also set up our desks, hers being a hot pink color while mine was an azure blue, with their matching chairs. In the corner were two lime green beanbags surrounding a small flat screen TV.

"Alice, this is amazing! It looks like it came straight out of an Ikea catalog. How did you do all of this?"

"You'd be surprised by what I can do in only two hours." she smirked, "Anyways, you need to get ready, I already picked out your outfit. You just need to shower."

I got out of bed and began to gather my things in order to take a shower until I realized that I had no idea where anything was. "Alice, where did–"

"Everything you need is on the shelf in the bathroom." Alice explained while arranging throw pillows, that came out of no where, on my bed.

I entered our small bathroom, thanking God that we didn't have to share a communal bathroom with the entire floor, and sure enough all of my toiletries sat on the shelf above the toilet. I turned the water on and stripped before stepping into the warm stream of water. I felt my muscles relax as I began shampooing my hair with my strawberry shampoo. I could spend hours in the shower, it was always so relaxing and peaceful that I tended to lose track of time.

"Bella, don't make me come in there and drag you out!"

I finally turned that shower off and opened the polka dotted curtains. Sitting on the toilet was the outfit that Alice has chosen for me to wear, even though I swear it hadn't been there before. '_How does she do that?!_'

I stepped out of the shower and dried myself off. The outfit consisted of only an empire waist with a paisley print dress. I put it on along the corresponding shoes, necklace and bracelet.

I opened the bathroom door and walked into the room, "Alice, although this dress is very pretty, don't you think it's a bit much for tonight?"

"Of course not! Emmett invited two of his friends, and we obviously don't know them. You only get one chance at a first impression, and something tells me you'll want to make this one a good one." she said with a smile.

What did she mean by that? "Alice, do you know something about his two friends that you're not telling me?"

"No, I just have this feeling that tonight will be a big deal for the both of us and you know these feelings are never wrong."

"Fair enough," I said, "but I still think the dress too much."

"Stop complaining and come over here so I can help you with your hair and makeup."

Alice applied light eye makeup and a pink tinted lip gloss before curling my hair into loose beach curls. It was quarter to seven when Alice finally finished my hair and we were ready to go. We took the elevator down and walked out of the building.

"Ok Alice, which way?"

"Uhh…" Alice looked from her left to her right a couple of times.

"Alice, please tell me you know where we're going."

"Don't worry, I just forgot for a second. Come on, it's this way."

After about fifteen minutes of walking we finally reached Emmett and Rosalie's apartment building. Alice found the correct buzzer and pushed it.

"Whoever you are I'm not interested in what you're selling." A deep voice boomed over the intercom.

"Shut up Emmett, I'm not trying to sell you anything."

"Pix! You finally made! I was beginning to think that you got lost." I snorted at the last comment because it was almost true.

"Yeah well I didn't, so can you let us up already?" the loud buzzing sound indicated that the door was unlocked. We entered that building and climbed the stairs to the apartment.

"Soo… Pix?" I snickered.

"Yeah, Emmett's childhood nickname for me that never dropped." Alice grumbled "Hey, before we get there I should warn you… Emmett is a big little kid who sometimes forgets to filter what comes out of his mouth."

"Wait what do you mean–" I didn't get to finish my question because we had stopped in front of a door that was abruptly opened by the largest, rather cute, man I had ever seen. He had to be at least 6'4, which was a full foot taller than me, and was extremely built. He wasn't 'strongest man in the world-steroid addict' built, but he definitely looked like he could break me in half if wanted to. Besides his build, he had dark brown hair that was cut close to his head and piercing blue eyes that matched Alice's.

"Pixie! It's been too long! I can't even remember the last time I saw you." the man said as he captured Alice in a huge bear hug and swung her from side to side.

"Emmett!" Alice exasperated, "I saw you a few weeks ago, remember?"

"Oh yeah, that right…"

"Put me down Emmett."

Emmett gently placed Alice on the floor and looked over at me, it seemed like they had forgotten that I was standing there through their little exchange. "Who is this?"

"Emmett, I'd like you to meet my best friend and roommate, Isabella Swan." I didn't know what to do so I gave him a little wave.

"Ah! So you're my little cousin's clumsy friend, it's nice to finally meet you. I'm Emmett McCarthy." I had only anticipated a hand shake, but was rudely surprised when he also picked me up in a bone crushing hug.

"Uh, it's nice to meet you too Emmett." I squeaked, "But do you think you could put me down, I'm running out of air."

"Oh my bad, sorry. Sometimes I don't realize my own strength." Emmett chuckled. '_Yeah, no kidding._' I thought.

"Emmett! Stop loitering in the hallway." A female voice shouted from inside the apartment.

Alice and I walked in after Emmett. Standing in the living room was a woman that could pass for as a supermodel. She was on the taller side, and was thin but has all the right curves. Her light blonde hair went a few inches below her shoulders and complimented her icy blue eyes. The second I saw her I felt my self esteem drop a few notches.

"Rose! Oh my God, how are you?" Alice hugged the woman that I guessed was Rosalie.

"I'm good, I'm so excited you'll be here in New York now, we are going to have so much fun shopping in the city!"

"I know! Anyway, Rose meet my best friend Isabella Swan, Bella meet Rosalie Hale."

Rosalie turned to look at me, and I felt like I was being evaluated. She looked me up and down while I just stood there. I wasn't sure if she decided to hate me or like me, but from the frosty appraisal she gave me, I was leaning more towards hate.

So I was completely surprised when she gave me a warm hug. "Hi Bella, it's nice to meet you." It was a complete 180 from the cold vibe I was previously getting from her, but I definitely wasn't complaining.

"It's nice to meet you too, Rose. Thank you for having us over tonight."

"Not a problem, I've been dying for someone to go shopping with me, and now I have you two!" Rose said.

At hearing that I couldn't help but groan; the thought of two of them dragging me along for shopping sprees made me want to cry. One Alice, I could handle, but two Alices was going to be like a nightmare I wouldn't be able to wake up from. Rose gave me a quizzical look.

"Oh don't mind her Rose, she has a thing against shopping. She needs all the help she can get when it come to clothes, so we'll definitely have our hands full." laughed Alice.

"Oh, I love projects! This is going to be fun! We should plan our first trip soon…" Rose said. I knew where their conversation was headed so I opted to remove myself from it quickly.

"So Emmett," I asked, "Where are your friends?"

Emmett looked down at his watch. "Uh, they should be here any sec–" A loud buzzing sound interrupted him. "AH! Here they are now!" He walked over to the door and pushed the talk button. "What's the secret password?"

"Oh come on Emmett, just let us up." A male voice said.

"Wrong! Please try again."

"Ughh! Fine… Emmett is the sexiest man alive, and is my idol. Now let us up!"

Rose and Emmett were cracking up at this point. "Man, that never gets old…" I was completely lost and looked over at Alice who had a look on her face that said 'I am just as lost as you are'.

Rose must have noticed our confusion because she explained, "Jasper lost a bet to Emmett a while back so every time he comes over he has to use the 'secret password' to get in."

"Oh, okay… but who's Jasper?" Alice asked.

"That would be me." a tall very handsome, blonde said. "Hi I'm Jasper, Rose's younger brother." Once he said he was Rose's younger brother you could see the resemblance. They both had the height, blonde hair, and blue eyes. Jasper's hair was a dirtier blonde than Rosalie's, and his eyes were a deeper blue as well. He had broad shoulders and a medium sized build.

"Hi Jasper, I'm Bella Swan, and this is…" I turned to Alice, waiting for her to introduce herself, but she just stood there gazing at Jasper. "Alice." I nudged her.

"Oh! Um hi," Alice said shyly, "I'm Alice Brandon, it's a pleasure to meet you." She reached out to shake his hand.

"The pleasure is all mine." Jasper said as he kissed the back of Alice's hand, causing her to blush. It was clear Jasper was just as smitten with Alice as Alice was with him.

"I think they've got the hots for each other." Rose whispered into my ear.

"I think you're right. i have never seen Alice blush at anything." I giggled back.

They continued to stare into each other's eyes, having some kind of private conversation, until Emmett interrupted.

"Ahh, sorry to burst you little love bubble," Emmett said with a snicker, "But where the hell is Edward?"

"Uh, he ran into someone he knew downstairs." Jasper responded offhandedly, not even looking away from Alice.

"Emmett, do you mind if I get something to drink?"

"Sure, help yourself to anything you want."

"Thanks." I said as I made my way to the kitchen. The truth was that I wasn't really thirsty. I was kind of in shock that Alice and Jasper had felt an instant connection without really even knowing each other. And to be honest with myself, I was also a little bit jealous of Alice. The only guy I had met so far was Mike, and he definitely was not a person I'd want to see again. Well there was that guy at the airport, but he was way out of my league and it wasn't like i was ever going to see him again. I let out a little sigh. I could see it now; Friday nights out, being the fifth wheel. "_Just perfect…_" I thought.

I filled my glass with some water and stood by the island looking into the living room at everyone else.

I heard the door open and someone came into the apartment. "Sorry guys. I ran into this girl who I supposedly meet before who I've never seen before even though she swore we knew each other." A velvety voice laughed.

I silently chocked on my water. '_Oh. My. God!_' I screamed in my head. That voice, it sounded just like that guy from the airport. '_There is no way it's the same guy. You're probably just going crazy._' I thought to myself.

"No problem Edward, you didn't really miss anything. Let me introduce you to my little cousin and her friend." Emmett said.

Then the man came into view, and I lost it. '_Holy Damn!_' was all I could think. It was the guy from the airport! He was Edward! I just stood their, staring at the back of his head with my mouth wide. Next thing I knew, I heard glass breaking and my feet soaked with water. I looked down and realized that I had dropped my glass of water. When I looked up five sets of eyes where looking at me, and I couldn't help but turn completely red.

"Oops…" I whispered. I looked over to Edward and the look of recognition told me that he remembered who I was.

"I'm beginning think that you're a bit accident prone." Edward said with a crocked smile that made me feel like Jello.

All I could do was smile shyly and give a little shrug.

"HAH! They don't call her clumsy for nothing, at least that's what I've heard." Emmett laughed.

"Wait just one second! How would you know that? You've never even seen here before." Alice accused.

"Actually, we have met before this." Edward stated with a small smile.

Everyone turned to look at me with questioning looks. My face turned a brighter red

"Isabella Marie Swan!" I cringed at Alice using my full name. '_This is going to bad._'

"You. Come with me. Now!" Alice marched over to me and pulled me down the hallway.

"I'll be right back." I heard Rose say as she followed us. "Emmett, clean up this mess while we're gone."

"Ah but Rosie, I didn't even do anything this time…"

Alice opened the door to the bathroom and tugged me in; Rose closed the door behind us. "Bella, if you don't explain everything right now I will drag you to the mall everyday for a month!" Alice threatened me with glare.

"Alright I will, just relax Alice; you're beginning to scare me." I said causing Alice to smirk. "I kind of already met Edward at the airport earlier today… " I mumbled while looking down at my shoes

"How could I have not met him too? I was with you the whole…Oh my God! You met him when I went to bathroom! That's why you seemed to flustered when I came back. Now it makes sense! "

Alice turned to Rose and explained how she had gone to the bathroom while I got our bags. "Okay I get that, but why did he say he thought you were accident prone?" Rose asked.

"I may have…fallen on my ass when I tried to get Alice's bags." I mumbled quickly.

"I'm sorry, what did you say? I missed that." Alice giggled, clearly hearing what I had just said.

"I said I was trying to get your bags," I pointed accusingly at Alice, "and fell down, so Edward came over and asked if I wanted some help. Then I couldn't form a complete sentence because he was so damn sexy, and I made a complete idiot of myself because I couldn't stop blushing!" By the time I finished my little rant Rose and Alice were laughing uncontrollably.

"What's so funny in there?" Emmett shouted from the living room.

"Nothing!" all three of us shouted in unison.

"OhmyGod, Bella that so funny! Why didn't you tell me this before? " Alice asked while she was still laughing.

"Because I knew you where going to this!"

"If it makes you fell any better," Rose said while wiping tears away, "Edward is very single at the moment…"

"Hah! Now that's a good one." I scoffed.

"What do you mean?"

"Edward would never look twice at me; he is so out of my league."

"Bella, you obviously don't realize this, but you really are beautiful." Rose told me seriously.

"She's right Bella. You're gorgeous whether you want to believe or not, and if anything Edward is out of you're league."

"Well thanks for the pep talk but it doesn't matter because I'm not interested" I lied.

Rose and Alice gave each other a knowing look, "Whatever you say Bella…" they both said before walking out of the bathroom leaving me by myself.

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**AN: Oakyyy, so I just want to apologize for the length of time it took for me to put this chapter up. College visits, essays, and time away kept me from finishing this any faster. Tell me you think! Please and thank you! C:**

**PS: trying to get a link up so you can see Bella's outfit... this might take a while because I'm completely lost when it comes to making links :/  
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	4. Tapas

**Chapter 4 - Tapas**

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'_Alright Bella, you can do this. Just avoid eye contract…' _I thought as I looked at myself in the mirror. Tonight was going to be one long night.

"Hey Bella, you coming out anytime soon?" Alice popped her head back into the bathroom.

"Yeah..I, uh, just needed a minute."

"Stop worrying, it's going to be fine. He really wants to meet you…" Alice sing-songed the last part before leaving.

I gave myself on last look in the mirror to make sure that everything was in place. When I ran out of things to stall with I walked out of the bathroom and into the living room.

"Are you sure she's alright?" Edward asked in a hushed tone.

Before anyone could respond I answered for myself, "Yes, I'm fine. Thank you Edward." I said. I moved my eyes to his to give him a small smile, but the second we made eye contact I was a goner. I tried to will myself to look away before I completely lost it but his intense gaze trapped me.

Someone cleared their throat successfully breaking me from my trance. I quickly turned from Edward feeling a blush come on.

"Emmett, I'm really sorry about breaking your glass and making a mess." I apologized.

"Don't sweat it, Bella. I guess it's something we'll have to get use to now, with you being around all the time." Emmett said causing everyone to laugh.

"I wouldn't count on it…" I mumbled to myself.

"Why not? Are you not going to be around?" Edward asked me looking surprised.

I looked at him with a surprised expression of my own. _'How did he hear me say that?! And how was I going to answer his question? ´ _I couldn't tell him the reason I wasn't going to be around was because I was madly attracted to him and made a fool of myself every time he was around. No, that wouldn't do, so I was just going to have to play dumb and hope that he would let it slide.

"What are you talking about Edward? Why wouldn't I be around?" I tried to laugh it off.

"Well you just said…" he trailed off when I gave him the slightest head shake pleading with him to stop. I gave a relieved look and a small smile to thank him for understanding. He gave me a small nod, but the expression of his face told me he wasn't going to really let it go and that I would be explaining later.

I looked around to see if anyone had caught our silent conversation, and thankfully they were all preoccupied with their significant other. I walked over to the couch and took the only seat left; right next to Edward.

"So who's ready to go eat?" Rose asked.

"I thought we were eating here?" I said. Everyone but Rose started to snicker which confused me further.

"We could eat here, but it's probably not the safest choice…" Jasper stated.

"I'm confused, why wouldn't it be safe to eat here?"

"Let's just say you would need a stomach of steel to ingest the stuff that comes out of Rose's kitchen." Jasper said again causing everyone to laugh like it was some kind of inside joke; which it probably was.

"Would someone please just tell me what is so funny?"

"Bella, what Jasper is trying to tell you is that Rose can't cook." Alice finally explained to me.

"Oooooh…"was all I said, and for some reason they just started laughing harder.

"Oh hush up!" Rose said, "I don't see any of you trying to cook."

"That's because we know we can't!" Jasper said between his laughter.

"Rose, if you want I can teach how, I love to cook." I offered. Everyone stopped laughing and looked at me completely surprised.

"What?"

"You can cook?" Emmett asked me in awe. I nodded me head slowly, not fully understanding why they were so amazed; especially Alice. She's known I could cook since forever.

"Alice, why are you surprised? You already know that I can cook!"

"I know…It's just…I didn't expect you to offer Rose cooking lessons."

"Well that's what friends do, right?" I smiled at Rose.

"Aww!" Rose and Alice said as they hugged me.

"Thank you Bella. I would really love that."

"This is great and all, but what about right now? I'm hungry!" Emmett whined, effectively ruining our moment.

"Oh shut up you big baby! I already made reservations at Las Tapas." Rose said.

"I love that restaurant!" Alice squealed.

"I know! They have the cutest waiters." giggled Rose.

Emmett looked a little annoyed by Rose's comment, but must've been to hungry to care. "Whatever, let's just go."

We all headed out of the apartment and down the stairs. "Wait here, I'll be back in a flash." Emmett said when we were standing outside.

"Where is he going?" I asked

"He's going around back to the garage to get the car." Rose answered me. "The restaurant is too far to walk to and by the time we finish it'll be too dark to walk anyway."

Just as she finished what she was saying a thunderous roar came from a large black truck that turned the corner and stopped in front of us. Emmett rolled down the window and said, "Let's get a move on folks!"

"I thought you said he was getting a car."

"Eh, car, hummer; same difference." Rose said dismissively as she got into the monstrous hummer.

I took a deep breath, in hopes of calming my frantic heart, before climbing into the back seat. Once inside the hummer, I realized that there were only three seats and four of us.

"Uh, how are we all going to fit back here?"

And of course, Alice being Alice, she already had it planned out. "Edward, you sit next to Bella, and Jasper next to him, and I'll sit on Jasper's lap since I'm the smallest." Alice said with an innocent smile. Although her plan made logical sense, I knew better than to not think that she had an alternate motive behind the seating arrangements.

Once we were all in our respective seats, Emmett revved the engine loudly and took off at a breakneck pace towards our destination. With every sharp turn and sudden break Emmett took, I felt my fingers grip the handles tighter and tighter.

Edward started to chuckle and leaned over to whisper into my ear, "Are you alright Bella?"

"Of course I am, never been better. Why do you ask?" I said in a slightly higher voice than usual, which always happened when I was panicked.

"Oh it's just that you look a bit pale, and you're gripping onto my hand for dear life." He raised our connected hands.

"Oh! I'm sorry," I blushed and let go of his hand, "I hadn't noticed. I was too busy praying for my life." I joked; except it wasn't a joke, I was scared shitless!

Edward's laughter calmed me down a bit. "Don't worry." He said, taking my hand in his, "I won't let anything happen to you." He stated seriously, only emphasizing his statement with another intense gaze that mesmerized me every time.

Our connection was broken when the hummer came to an abrupt stop. I looked out my window to see that we had arrived at Las Tapas, a quaint little Mexican restuarant. I turned my head to look back at Edward but didn't find him. My door suddenly opened and there stood Edward with his hand out to help me out of the hummer.

"May I?" he asked in such a gentlemanly like fashion that I had to blush.

"Yes, thank you Edward." He held my hand when I leaped from the hummer to the ground and closed the door behind me. As we made our way to the entrance of the restaurant, Edward placed his hand on my lower back, gently guiding me. I wasn't sure if he really even knew he was doing it or if it was just his genteel personality, but either way it made my face break into a huge smile.

Rose told the hostess that we had reservations for Hale, and she led us to our table. Before we could sit down Alice informed the guys that we were going to the bathroom. While Alice and Rose retouched their lip gloss, I simply washed my hands and waited for them to finish.

When they were done we left the bathroom and walked to where the guys were sitting. Once they saw us, Jasper and Edward stood and pulled out the chair for Alice and me, which were juxtaposed. We thanked them graciously, smiled at each other, and sat down. While all of this was going on, Rose stood akimbo beside her chair tapping her foot impatiently, waiting for Emmett to do the same for her. She cleared her throat and looked expectantly at him.

Completely oblivious to what Rose wanted, Emmett asks, "Rose, aren't you going to sit down? You look silly just standing there."

"I would love to sit down Emmet." Rose fumed.

"Okay, then sit down. Your chair is right there."

"Arghh! Emmett you are so frustrating sometimes!" Rose pulled her chair out dramatically, plopped down into the seat, and smacked Emmett upside his head."

"Oww! Rosie what was that for?! I didn't do anything." Up this point we were successfully stifling our laughter, but after hearing Emmett whine we couldn't hold it in anymore and busted out laughing.

"That's the point you idiot!"

"Rosie you know it hurts my feelings when you call me names…" I was laughing so hard I started to cry.

"Oh shut up Emmett."

Our waiter finally came over and introduced himself. "Hola y bienvenidos a Las Tapas. **(****Hello and welcome to Las Tapas)** I am Carlos and will be your server tonight." he said with a sexy Latin accent, "What can I get you for drinks?"

Everyone told the waiter what they wanted and I was the last to decide. "Y usted, bella?" **(****And you, beautiful?)**

"Woah!" I said surprised, "How do know my name?"

Carlos gave me a sexy smile, "I didn't, but it is the perfect name for someone as bonita as you."

I blushed at his compliment. "Thank you, I think I'll have a lemonade please."

"Por supeusto! **(****Of course!) **I'll be back with your drinks shortly." He told us and walked away.

"Aw! I think our sexy waiter has a crush on you, Bella!" Alice giggled.

"He was just being nice Alice." I tried to downplay it.

"Yeah well, I don't like him." Edward said grudgingly.

"What's the matter Eddie?" Rose teased, "You aren't jealous, are you?" '_HAH! Why would he, of all people, be jealous?_'

"No. He's just being completely unprofessional, and I would appreciate it if he simply did his job."

"Whatever floats your boat kid." laughed Jasper.

Carlos came back carrying a tray with our drinks and passed them out to everyone. "Aquí está su limonada, bella. **(****Here is your lemonade, beautiful.)**" he winked at me, and from the corner of my eye I could see Edward glaring at him.

"Bein, are you all ready to order or do you need un momento?"

"Nah man, we're ready. I've always wanted to place my order in Spanish, and I think tonight is the night." said Emmett.

"Oh Lord…" Rose muttered under her breath.

"Yo quiero el arroz con ojos de pescado y salsa, por favor." Emmett said proudly. Out of nowhere Edward started to laugh, and Carlos looked disgusted.

"Em, are you sure th–"

"Edward," Emmett cut him off, "don't worry hombre, I got this." Edward just chuckled and shook his head.

Rose and Jasper ordered the rice and beans, Alice got the chicken empanada, and Edward got a chicken fajita.

"Y bella, what can I do for you?" Carlos asked suggestively with another wink.

"¡Bastante!" Edward exclaimed angrily, "Para flirteando con mi novia o te denunciaré!"

"Claro que sí, lo siento señor. No pasará otra vez.** (Of course, I am sorry sir. It won't happen again.) **" Carlos said, seeming repetitive.

"Uhh… I'll just have what he's having…" I said lamely.

Carlos nodded and quickly walked away. There was an awkward silence until Alice broke it. "Edward, I didn't know you spoke Spanish!"

"Oh, uh, well I'm not fluent or anything. I can put a few sentences together every now and then…"

"Wow! That's amazing!" I smiled at him, "What did you say to the waiter?" I had taken Spanish in high school but Edward had spoken so fast I wasn't able to understand what he said. The only familiar word I heard was novia, and I was pretty sure that meant girlfriend. _'Damn! I wish I had a Spanish dictionary.'_

We all waited for Edward to translate what he had said to Carlos that made him retreat so quickly. "I was nothing really…" Edward said bashfully.

I wanted to ask him what he had said word for word but Emmett got in the way. "Man! I can't believe you've been holding out on me! You knew that I've always wanted to learn Spanish."

Edward, looking pleasantly relieved that the subject was changed, replied, "No I haven't Emmett, you've never been interested in Spanish."

"Well I am, and you're going to teach me!"

"I already told you I'm not fluent."

"That's okay, I just want to learn all the swear words!" Emmett grinned.

"Sorry. I don't know any." Edward said sarcastically.

"Aw, come on! You've got to know some."

"Ok, ok. I tell you if…"

"If you promise to pay for dinner!" Alice interjected happily.

"Good one Alice! Okay I'll tell you one swear word if you promise to pay for dinner." laughed Edward.

"Deal! Now tell me!" Emmett pleaded.

"Mierda." Edward stated simply.

"Okay, mierda. I can remember that, now does it mean?"

"I'm not telling you, but you definitely shouldn't say it to anyone who speaks Spanish."

"What?! But you promised to tell me!"

"I did." chuckeled Edward, "But I never said I'd tell you what it meant…"

"Smartass…" Emmett grumbled.

"Lerdo." Edward retored without missing a beat.

I snorted a laugh at Edward's come back causing everyone to look at me. "What? I use to take Spanish…it was funny." I said with a shrug.

"Bella will you please, please, please tell me what it means?" Emmett begged me.

"Ahh… no. Sorry Emmett. Maybe you should make some Spanish speaking friends" I joked.

I should've known that he would take my 'advice' seriously. "Excuse me, señorita, but can you tell me what mierda and lerdo mean?" Emmett politely asked a passing waitress.

She looked at him completely stunned and then slapped him across the face. She walked away, angrily huffing something that sounded like 'estupido'.

We all sat there shocked for five seconds before everyone except Emmett exploded with laughter.

"Emmett!" Edward gasped between his laughter, "I told you not to say that to anyone!"

"Whatever… where is my food?" Emmett demanded.

Right on cue, Carlos and another waiter came out with our meals. After everyone had their plates in front of them, Carlos asked if that was all.

"Hey man, what the hell is this?!" Emmett gestured to his plate.

"Lo siento, but did you not order el arroz con ojos de pescado y salsa?"

"Yes, but–"

"And that is what you got, so everyone please enjoy your dinner." And with that Carlos walked away.

"Emmett, what's your deal man?" Jasper asked, wondering why he was making a fuss over something he ordered himself.

"Dude, it's looking at me!"

"What is?" Alice asked just as confused as I was.

"My dinner! There is no way I'm eating this, they obviously made a mistake."

"No they didn't Emmett." Edward was laughing again.

"What are you talking about señor Edward?"

"When you so brilliantly ordered in Spanish, you told our waiter that you wanted rice with fish eyes and sauce." I looked over at his plate and sure enough there were eye balls in his rice.

"What the hell man?! Why didn't you warn me?"

"I tried to but you wouldn't listen!"

"Well I'm not eating this." Emmett said stubbornly and crossed his arms in front of him.

"Oh yes you are! Think of all the poor children with no food at all. You're being ungrateful." Alice scolded him.

"Hpmh! If I die it's all your fault." We all watched on as Emmett slowly raised a forkful of rice and eyes to his mouth and began chewing.

"Hmm, not half bad." He said as he took another mouthful. "You guys want some?"

"EWW!!" Alice, Rose, and I said in unison and vehemently shook our heads.

"Oh well, more for me."

"You're going to need to wash your mouth out with bleach before you bring those lips anywhere near me again." Rose said with a shudder.

The rest of dinner passed without consequence and Emmett paid for the bill as promised. We all pilled back into the hummer to head home.

"Okay who lives closer? We'll drop them off first." Emmett said.

"We live in the Nelson dorms." Alice and Jasper said at the same time.

"No way! Which floor?" Alice squealed.

"Seventh, you?"

"Fourth! This is great! Now you'll always be close by." Alice said with a huge smile. Oh my God! That meant I would see Edward almost everyday, and I wasn't sure if I could handle that.

"Yeah this really is great." Edward whispered into my ear which made a shiver run down my spine.

We thanked Rose and Emmett for the fun night and promised to see them again soon. Edward and I walked slowly behind Alice and Jasper as we headed to our dorm room.

"Edward you never did tell me what you said to our waiter earlier tonight…"

"I know…" he smiled crookedly and for a second, just one quick second, I for got what I was trying to do.

"Hey! Stop doing that."

"Doing what?" he asked with feigned innocence.

"You know very well that you are trying to distract me with your sexy smile." By the time I realized what I had said and slapped my hand over my mouth, it was too late.

Not surprisingly, Edward found this hilarious and started to laugh, and I, for the umpteenth time that night, turned crimson. "So you think I have a sexy smile, huh?"

"Yes, okay? I admit it! Now stop stalling and tell me what you said." I demanded.

"I'll tell you what I said if you tell me what you meant when you said 'I wouldn't count on it.' earlier at Emmett's."

"You first." I said childishly.

"No way, you said yours first, so you should go." countered Edward.

By this time we had somehow made it to my door, with Alice and Jasper no where in sight. "You know what? I'll just use my Spanish dictionary to translate what you said." I bluffed, hoping he would just give in.

"Okay, you do that then." He said with a smug smile.

"Fine will."

"Well good luck, and goodnight Bella Swan." Edward said before leaning down and giving me a kiss on the cheek. Without another word, he went to the elevator and left me in front of my door in a complete daze.

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**AN: Yay! Another chapter! (: Had a lot of fun writing this one, review what you think! (:**


	5. Breakfast at Tiffany's

**Chapter 5 - Breakfast at Tiffany's**

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I was still sleeping when someone knocked on the door of our dorm. I rolled over to look at my alarm clock to see that it was already 10:30, and in my opinion too damn early to be up. Alice and I had stayed up all night talking about our dinner at Las Tapas; specifically Edward and Jasper.

"Oh my God. Today was unbelievable." Alice had said last night, "What are the odds that my cousin happens to be friends with two of the hottest guys we've ever seen?" Alice asked astonished.

"Apparently they're pretty good." I giggled back. "So I take it you fancy Jasper?" I asked already knowing the answer.

"Yes! He is so kind, and gentle, and caring. Plus it doesn't hurt that he's also very sexy. I don't know, it's just like we have this connection, and every time I look into his eyes I feel like nothing else matters because I'm with him and I don't want to be any place else." Alice said dreamily. It was weird because that was how I felt with Edward.

"Yeah, I know what you mean. But do you ever wonder if…maybe he doesn't feel the same way too or if you're reading signals that aren't really there?" I voiced my own fears.

"Nah. I can just tell he feels the same way." she said confidently, making me wish I could have the same assurance that she felt. "I just know he's The One."

I snorted at her declaration. "The one what?" she gave me a look the said '_You know'_, and I looked at her shocked, "Ohh…you mean _the_ one."

"Yeah, I do." she nodded meekly. Our freshman year, Alice and I made a pact to wait until we met the loves of our lives to give up our V-cards. We started calling him, whoever he was, The One, and whenever we encountered a guy who wasn't The One we'd make it clear that we weren't interested. It wasn't that we were prudes or anything; we had boyfriends before just never crossed into physical activities.

So when Alice told me this, it was safe to say that I was flabbergasted. "Alice, how can you be so sure, I mean you just met him."

"I'm not saying I'm going to jump his bones the next time I see him, even if that's what I want to do," she giggled, "I just have a feeling that he's someone I don't want to lose. Isn't that how you feel about Edward?"

I looked down at my lap. The truth was that that was exactly how I felt and it scared me, but what scared me the most was the possibility that he didn't feel the same way. "I don't know. I guess I'm just scared." I whispered.

"Bella, what are you scared of?"

"That this is happening too fast…" I didn't tell her that I was more afraid of rejection.

"I guess I was a little scared too at first, but that I realized that sometimes love can just sneak up on you and that I shouldn't fight it; it's fate." She said with a shrug.

"You're right, if it's meant to happen it will." I tried to convey that there wasn't anything else bothering me. But of course Alice didn't fall for it.

"What else are you afraid of?" I just shook my head. "Come on Bella, we tell each other everything. What else is bothering you?"

"I…what if it's not the same for him?" I whispered so quietly I didn't think she heard me.

"Oh Bella, of course it is. I saw the way he was looking at you tonight, it's written all over his face; he's head over heals for you."

"But Alice, how can you know for sure?" the desperation evident in my voice.

She looked pensive for a moment before saying, "I guess you can't know sure. You just have to trust him, but more importantly trust your heart."

We talked for a while longer before falling asleep sometime in the early morning.

The person at the door knocked again, ruining my chances of falling back asleep. "Alice, someone's at the door." I murmured hoping she'd get it.

I was met with silence which caused me to look over at Alice's bed wondering why she didn't say anything. But the only thing on Alice's neatly made bed was a piece of paper. I got out of bed and went over to read the note.

_Bella_

_Out with Japer. :) Be back later._

_Alice._

_PS: Trust your heart_

I couldn't believe she was already gone. The person at the door began knocking again only much louder this time probably hoping to wake me up; which they did. Why hasn't this person left yet? I mean for all they know, no one was even in here.

"Hold on, I'm coming!" I yelled at the door. Who ever this person was they were going to pay for making me up. "What is your pro–" I began to say before I opened to door to find none other than Edward smiling down at me.

"I'm sorry to wake you Bella. Alice said you were still here, and I was wondering if maybe you wanted to go to breakfast with me?" he asked with a shy smile.

My anger quickly turned into embarrassment, "Sure, I'd love to. Um, why don't you come in and wait while I get ready." I stepped aside to allow him in and closed the door. I took a deep breath before I turned around to smile at him.

"Maybe I should wait outside..." he said only looking at the floor.

"What? Why?" I asked befuddled.

"Uhh…" he gestured to my body and I looked down wondering why he looked so uncomfortable. To my complete and utter humiliation realized that I was still wearing the tiny tank top and polka dotted boy shorts that I had worn to bed.

I let out a little squeal and ran for the bathroom, no doubt giving him a perfect view of my ass. I shut the door behind me and slid to the floor banging my head against it. I couldn't believe I just stood there in front of him half naked!

"Bella are you alright? Do you want me to leave?" Edward asked from the other side of the door sounding concerned. I completely forgot that he could hear the banging, and all I wanted to do was cry.

"No, no. I'm fine. I'm going to get ready. You can watch the TV while you wait if you want."

"Okay, if you're sure…"

"Yeah, I'll be out in few." I got up from the floor and brushed my teeth. There was another note on the mirror from Alice.

_Picked out an outfit for you, it's on the toilet. Have fun ;)_

Well at least I wouldn't have to go out there in a towel. I quickly showered and blow dried my hair straight before putting on the jean capris and cute yellow tank top that were on the toilet.

I silently opened the door and looked over to the TV area. Edward was sitting on one of the bean bag chairs, with a look of concentration, trying not to fall off while getting comfortable. The sight of a very tall Edward sitting in an Alice sized chair was so absurd that I had to laugh. He turned his head at the sound of my laughter and lost his balance causing him to slide to the floor.

"If it was up to me, I would've chosen a couch," I chuckled, "but Alice picked out all of the furniture." I reached my hand out to help him up.

"I would've never guessed…" he said with a smile. "So are you ready to go?"

"Yup, let's go." I started to smile because as we left my room I noticed he hadn't let go of my hand. And I was glad he didn't.

We got into the elevator, and it was about to close someone yelled out, "Hold the elevator!" '_Hmm, that voice sounds oddly familiar…_' I thought to myself. I wasn't able to place the voice until the person in question entered the elevator; Mike.

"Thanks man." Mike said to Edward, he turned to look at me and for the second time that day I wished I was invisible. "Bella! Hey long time no see. How've you been?"

"Hey Mike" I said politely. "I'm doing great, how about you?" I asked even though I couldn't care less.

"I'm good, thanks…so I was wondering…what are you doing tonight, I thought maybe if you were free we could go to dinner?" he asked hopefully, and for some reason Edward squeezed my hand almost as if he was trying to send me a message. But I was too busy panicking and trying to think of a good excuse.

"Oh Mike I would love to, but…" my voice going a few octaves higher, "You know what? I'm being rude. Mike I'd like you to meet Edward…" damn I never asked what his last name was.

"Cullen, Edward Cullen. It's nice to meet you Mike."

"Um, you too. So Bella, dinner tonight, what do you say?" Mike wiggled his eyebrows suggestively making me want inwardly cringe.

"Yeah, uh, I'm sorry but I can't."

"Why not? Are you busy? We could go another time." Mike said quickly.

"Um…you see..." I was racking my head trying to think of _anything_, I looked over at Edward and before I knew it I was saying, "Edward and I are dating, he's my boyfriend."

"What?!" Edward and Mike exclaimed together.

"Yeah, sorry Mike but we're very happy together. Oh this is our stop, bye Mike!" I said while pulling Edward out of the elevator quickly.

When we were for enough from Mike, Edward stopped us and asked, "So we're dating now?" with a smug smile.

"Don't flatter yourself. I needed a way out of that date from hell. Plus, you didn't seem to mind me being your _novia_ last night, did you?" I asked with a raised eyebrow.

That wiped the smugness off of his face, and he blushed a little. "You understood that?" he asked referring to his outburst at Las Tapas.

"Not all of it but I do vaguely remember you saying something like 'That is my girlfriend so back off, or else.'" I chuckled.

"You're not mad are you? I mean the guy was openly flirting with you in front of me, and we we're on a date." Edward exasperated.

"Wait a second; you thought last night was a date?"

"Well…yeah, kind of. At least I wanted it to be a date, did you not want it to be?" he asked sounding apprehensive.

"Yeah, of course I do. I just didn't think you would see it that way."

"Okay, so we agree, last night was our first date. And just so there's no more confusion, this is our second date." He gave me a bright smile that made me blush.

He took my hand and lead me to a near by diner named Tiffany's. We went inside and slid into opposite sides of a booth. Our waitress came and asked us what we wanted to drink. After she left Edward turned to me and began his questioning.

"So what are you going to school for?"

"I'm an English major hoping to become an editor, and maybe one day a writer. What about yourself?"

"Pre-Med. My father, Carlisle, is a doctor and I've always wanted to be just like him."

"Aw, that's so sweet." I said teasingly.

He laughed and asked, "What do your parents do?"

"Well my dad, Charlie, is the Chief of Police in Forks, Washington; which is were I grew up."

"And your mom?" I hoped he wouldn't bother asking about Renee if I didn't offer any information about her, but he did anyways.

"Um…I'm not really sure; I haven't seen Renee since I was ten…" The only thing I could remember about her was that she was a "free spirit" and didn't want to me held back by a husband and kid. One day she just up and left with no explanation or guarantees of return. "What about yours?" I asked changing the subject.

"My mother, Esme, is a interior designer and she likes to restore old homes."

"That's nice. Do you have any siblings?"

"No, but Jasper is practically my brother. We grew together in Chicago. He's spent so much time at my house that he actually calls my parents Mom and Dad."

"Yeah I know what you mean, Alice and I are the same way. When she moved to Forks form Chicago in the third grade we became instant friends and did everything together. With a hyper active best friend like Alice you don't need siblings." I laughed.

Our waitress came back with our drinks and we placed our orders and shortly after our food arrived.

"What's your favorite color?" Edward asked randomly.

I looked into his eyes and turned red. "Green." I told him truthfully. It had always been my favorite, now there was even more reason to love the color.

Edward just sat there smiling at me. "What? Is there something on my face?" I began wiping invisible food off of my cheek.

"No, no…You just look so beautiful when you blush." He said quietly.

"Thank you" I said looking down at my plate.

He continued to ask me random questions like "What's your favorite holiday?" and "How many bones have you broken?"

"Ten." I told him seriously.

"Really?!"

"Yeah, I was pretty accident prone back in the day…"

"If you ask me, you still are." Edward teased. "What are you afraid of?"

"Umm, the dark I guess. Well, not so much darkness, just not knowing what's there. My mind likes to think the worst potential possibilities are hiding in the dark just waiting to get me." What I didn't tell him was that it was more than just a fear, it was a borderline phobia.

"Like what?"

"Oh you know, psychotic ax-murders, rapists, flesh-eating werewolves; the usual." I said with a shrug.

"You're right. That is exactly what I think of when I'm in the dark." Edward laughed.

"I told you, my mind likes to play tricks on me." A few questions later I stopped Edward. "Why are you asking me these questions?"

"Because I want to know everything there is to know about you; you fascinate me." He said with sincerity while looking into my eyes.

Eventually, he did run out of questions and we came to the end of our breakfast date. "Bella, this was a lot of fun, getting to know you, I enjoyed it."

"Yeah, me too."

"I really like you, and was wondering if we could do this again sometime?"

"I would love to that. Thanks for breakfast Edward." I smiled up at him.

"It was my pleasure." He placed a gentle kiss in my forehead and began to walk away.

"Hey, wait! Don't you want my number?"

He turned and answered me with a laugh, "Alice gave it to me last night."

'_Alice! I'm going to have to talk to her about giving away my personal information…'_

* * *

**AN: Yahh trick! One more chapter down, God knows how many more to go. Please review, healthy criticism is welcomed. ;) **


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